The first point of call for accident victims at Apam in the Central Region, St. Luke Catholic Hospital, is compelled to refer patients to other health facilities during periods of power outage (Dumsor) in the hospital.
The situation, according to the hospital Administrator Reverend Father Francis Oteng, is due to the breakdown of a 250000 volts amps (250kva) generator which has been the only alternate source of power for the facility over the years.
He attributed the crash of the plant to the harsh conditions of the environment which he said has contributed to its short lifespan.
“Because we are close to the sea, the conditions of the environment has shortened its lifespan. So the only plant the hospital has no longer functions. We have tried repairing it but the engineers have not been able to restore it” he spoke in the twi to Angel News’ reporter Ablah Aforkpah.
The health service worker lamented that the situation is hampering healthcare delivery to the people of Apam and neighboring communities while financially burdening the patients because of the journeys they have to embark on.
He called for support from the general public and corporate organizations to through their Corporate Social Responsibility help provide quality services to their patients.
“We call for support for our accident and emergency unit to be resourced so that in an eventuality we can attend to the needs of the people to save their lives. Then we would not have to lose anybody to the unavailability of an equipment.”
Rev. Francis Oteng was speaking on the sides of a wellbeing awareness event organized by the Apam Improvement Association in London (UK), held at the premises of the St, Luke Catholic Hospital in the Central Region.
At the programme, Psychologist and one of the lead members of the association, Dr. Annie Gaisie, expressed worry about the attitude of some health workers towards patients and the psychogical effects it has on them in accessing healthcare.
She has been sharing some of the best practices in the health sector that nurses and other health workers can employ in carrying out their professional work that will lead to a cordial relationship between them and health seekers
Chief of Apam, Nana Edu-Effirim X who graced the occassion, encouraged the St Luke Catholic Hospital to become the model for health facilities across the Central region, when it comes to service delivery and cordiality.
He stressed the need for healthcare service providers to exercise patience towards their customers because according to him, being hostile to a patient could have rippling effects on the hospital since that could deter others from employing the hospital’s services.
Meanwhile, the event saw the rewarding of some well deserving Health care workers at the hospital. It was to encourage and promote Healthy working environment and for Healthcare workers to revisit the values of being in the healthcare profession that is putting the physical and Mental wellbeing of the patient first.
